Blackcell
by My Mixtape
Summary: Trap in a different world, Naruto Uzumaki tries to find a way back home. In the meantime, he's got to keep the streets of New York City clean.


Warning: This chapter contains explicit language, gore, and violence.

* * *

 **I don't own Naruto or DC Comics. This is just for funsies.**

 **Blackcell**

* * *

The moon was hanging pretty low on a cloudless night sky. It was bright, illuminating even the smallest blemishes, cracks, and crevices found on every corner in the city. If Brody didn't know any better, the moon was the closest he'd ever seen it all his life. It was displeasing to think that he had to turn his attention elsewhere.

Two men were in the process of transferring six women from a black SUV to a delivery truck. The nearest one to his left was short and stumpy. He had a difficult time acclimating to her weight as stumpy placed her on his right shoulder. It rocked his pudgy body.

The one to his right was the largest of them. The brute single-handedly carried two women on his shoulders, showing little discomfort, transporting them with ease. His last package sent a hefty knee to the torso. The force generated from an awkward position made the brute falter slightly. In response, the brute casually tossed her on the truck.

The last guy on their crew, a driver, stayed inside the SUV just in case something went wrong and they needed to make a quick getaway.

Brody approached the women while they tried their best to put a distance between him, "I love this city. No other place can capture the American essence quite like New York, know what I mean? People from all over the world bring their own little world here turning this place into one bloody fantastic shitshow. But all that mixing, melting, or whatever brought you here now. And I'm forever grateful for that."

Adrian, the pudgy one, employed every ounce of his strength to toss the last woman into the truck, "Goddamn it!" He checked his face for any marks.

"Hey, hey!" Brody reprimanded. "Be careful. Contrary to what you were told, they actually take off a couple bucks if we scratch them."

"Ain't my fault, they won't stop squirming."

Brody tapped Adrian on the back, "Then maybe it's high time you hit the gym again. You're looking big, but it ain't muscle man."

One of the women grew more rambunctious than the others. She thrashed all over, lifting herself over, rolled around, and kicked chaotically in an effort to free her hands. She even wiggled to the other girls which Brody found amusing. Usually, their captives leaned towards a stealthier escape, this one must've been so desperate for freedom that she didn't care if they were alarmed.

Brody allowed her a good few minutes to accept her predicament. With her spirit dying down, her shoulders sagged and the woman started to cry. Lifting two wrapped deli sandwiches, Brody waved them so the women could see. "Now, if you behave, you'll get two meatball subs."

One of them threw a shoe at him.

Brody tossed a meatball subbed to Adrian, who unwrapped it and took a big bite. The extra sandwich landed a few inches away from the women, "It's a two-day road trip. With the rest stops along the way, it might stretch it another day. So, I suggest you make it last."

The last part got a chuckle out of his crew.

All of a sudden, Brody noticed a humanoid silhouette grew on the side of the truck. Relocating his vision to his captives, they were still and obviously fearful. Brody turned around following their sight.

There was someone standing at the edge of a building. This person was clothed in a black hoodie, black pair of pants, and black boots. The stranger's legs were armored with plates that wrapped around the knee and the shins. An orange mask covered their face. It looked somewhat demonic—that much was certain. The fact that the mask was grinning gave him the creeps.

"What the fuck?" whispered Adrian.

Against his better judgment, Adrian decided to let a few bullets loose. When the body became a cloud of smoke, it frightened Brody even more.

Out of nowhere, Adrian was smashed onto the asphalt. The body on top of Adrian was doing everything in his might to turn the little guy into mashed potato. Raising his pudgy arms was the only way to defend himself. Even then, the stranger managed to sneak a few well-placed strikes in. Adrian's stocky arms wouldn't last a minute.

Coming to Adrian's rescue, the brute pointed his handgun toward the attacker. He kept on the trigger relentlessly like a game of whack-a-mole. The guy turned into smoke moments later.

"AARAAAAHHHGG!"

Even though the attacker was gone, the brute didn't let up. Brody ran to the brute to calm him down.

"Stop, STOP!" Brody found it difficult to pacify him. "Max, you moron! You shot him!"

Adrian crawled closer to them. He was coughing, blood leaking from his gray jacket.

Brody wasn't sure if he was the one to completely stop him or because the brute ran out of bullets. At this moment, the driver chose to make himself useful. Brody didn't waste any time, "Price, you go check it out."

Price was apprehensive, "No way! That's how they win in the movies man."

"Fucking go and clear that area or I'll shoot you myself!"

Price didn't get the chance.

Something metallic spun through the air, reaching speeds unknown to him but was observable enough to be declared dangerous. It passed through Price's left arm cleanly separating his forearm from his upper arm. Red stream spiraled in the air like a typhoon painting the door of the vehicle, the asphalt, and his right boot.

"GGGGAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

A second later, Price curved forward, grasping what remained of his left arm. He howled to the moon.

"Jesus Christ!" screeched Brody, fearfully taking a step back.

The metallic object turned out to be some kind of blade, four blades in fact, like a death fine. Crimson fluid dripped from one of the blades which made him nauseous. A moment later, though, it transformed into the maniac wearing demon mask.

Unfortunately, he was far from done with Price.

Ferociously, the maniac grabbed Price's left arm squeezing every ounce of blood from his limb. It forced his squealing prey to lean towards him in an effort to alleviate the throbbing pain. The maniac stomped on Price's left knee buckling it forward. When leverage was to his advantage, the maniac stuffed his free hand with Price's medium-length hair and smashed his temple to the side of the SUV.

Brody extended his arm to save their driver. Pointing his firearm toward the maniac's direction, he tightened his index finger around the trigger.

Around the same time, Max decided to employ his humongous figure to tackle the maniac.

The bullet from Brody's gun nicked the brute on the shoulder.

Both the maniac with the demon mask and Max crashed to the ground.

"Get out of the way, moron!" Brody steeled his form. Gripping the handgun with both hands this time, Brody was more than prepared for the recoil. The second common sense came back to the huge idiot, he would unleash hell on this freak.

Four fast jabs smashed on Max's ribs. They didn't discriminate and were evenly dispersed. Brody found it remarkable that the maniac's fists moved faster than the speed of light. The maniac wearing demon mask completed his combo by kicking Max's right thigh; bringing him down further like Jenga pieces.

The bastard was using Max as a meat shield!

This piece of shit wasn't as smart as Brody initially thought! He could lay under Max all night long, but the fact was that there wasn't any other cover near them. When Max sacked the bastard, he pushed them away from SUV. And even if this agile motherfucker could pull off inhuman flips in the air, Brody held enough accuracy to put him down before the maniac could reach the safety of the delivery truck where they placed the women.

The best decision now was to move inside the truck. The delivery truck held a tactical advantage when it came to defending his back. Even if the maniac wearing demon mask tried to throw something at him, he'd have to do it within Brody's perception. Once in a while, he'd have to watch his six just in case one of the bitches chose to do something stupid. Luckily, Brody packed a second heat tonight.

It didn't take long for him to reach the higher ground.

"Listen you fuck!" Brody hollered, voice faltering slightly. He steeled his arm towards the group of women. "I'll cap one of 'em. If you don't leave the next second, I'll take one out! I'm fine losing three-hundred fifty! Are you?"

His left hand was kicked and it caused him to drop the gun. Growling, Brody glanced at his attacker. She was wearing a blue blouse with a pair of black jeans. Her long blond hair was fashioned in pigtails. The woman's blue eyes sparkled like a gem. She was the one who threw a shoe at him.

Brody changed his stance pulling the other gun to a comfortable position. This bitch was dying here and now.

A sharp front kick catapulted his gun out of his grasp.

Unbelievably she was able to follow it up by slapping his wrist out of the way. With her hands constricted together, the blond was forced to use extra measures to stretch her light frame forward. Her swift hands flung like a striking snake, aiming for his head.

Brody tilted his head to the right to dodge. Without missing a beat, he sent a nasty haymaker to the right.

She sent him packing the other direction.

The other captive women shrilled for this chick's victory. Things like, you can do this, make him pay, or fuck him up Kayla got to him if he was being honest. Brody's vision worked fine but their words participated in a mental battle. Brody found himself paying attention to their words more than keeping up with Kayla.

He had to finish this quick.

Ensnaring Kayla's hands, Brody pulled him closer to her. Using this momentum to his advantage, Brody lifted her, thrashing her over himself and slamming her to the other side of the cargo.

But that didn't phase the blond. She hastily collected herself and whirled her body on the floor of the cargo. Kayla shoved her body into the air in an amazing display of acrobatics and kicked him square in the chest.

Kayla didn't waste time. Brody made the mistake of standing his ground, mustering all he could to regain balance. The blond slammed both her fist onto the same spot for good measures and moved up to uppercut him on the chin. Her combo finished when she hopped, curled her arms as much as possible, twisted her body to the right, and elbowed Brody on the left cheek.

He slumped to the ground, shoulders lurching forwards and arms dangling to his sides. They became the heaviest things known to man.

While Brody fought to reclaim the throne, the blond slammed him against the wall of the cargo. What he found preposterous, however, was when she started hoisting him in the air like he was made out of foam. He held onto her arms for his life as his feet struggled to extend to the floor.

Her hands clamped on his throat. It was difficult to breathe just as it was painful thanks to the hits on his chest earlier.

"Who are you," Brody managed to wheeze out.

Winds blew out, smoke erupting in front of him. One moment he was talking to a woman with pigtails, next Brody was making eye contact with the maniac wearing demon mask. Ruby, bestial orbs drilled into him.

The maniac wearing demon mask threw him outside the cargo truck.

Max was in a worst situation than him. There were three of them now—with the other two doing their absolute best in making sure the brute wouldn't come back up. A maniac landed two sharp punches on Max's head while he struggled to get back up. Another maniac delivered a knee on his obliques.

Max clutched his sides, coughing out blood.

Brody was forced to roll on his back. When he looked up at the night sky, he saw the fourth maniac. This one carried a sword over his shoulder. The fourth maniac used the blade to cut the third maniac's confinement.

"Make sure the car's good to go," the one with the sword ordered.

Brody turned his lips to spit the blood, "You had a better chance on them, you freakin' idiot! I won't talk man."

The other maniacs left Max alone. He was unresponsive to any of their attacks, so that meant that he was finally down for the count. Adrian lied a shy distance to the SUV. Brody came to the conclusion that he was probably going to drive himself out of there and leave them all behind. Price was nowhere to be seen.

Brody tensed his face. He was the last one.

Once they had the SUV started, the maniacs ushered all the women into the vehicle. There was a woman with blood-stained opal sundress. She deviated from the other group to approach the maniac with the sword.

"You plan on sticking around?" He didn't break eye contact from Brody, "I don't mind an audience."

Her eyes watered, that much Brody could tell. Her cheeks were rosy and her voice sounded parched, "I just want to say thank you. Thank you so much."

"I left Kayla at the 61st precinct. Go there right away, don't make any detours."

She nodded and made way for the SUV. She went into the driver seat, closing the door shut a second later. After the vehicle departed making sure to steer clear of any bodily obstacles, the other three maniacs transformed into a cloud of smoke.

The ones to remain were Brody and the maniac with the sword.

"You have no idea who you're messing with man," Brody tried. "Do you know who I work for?"

Ruby, bestial orbs drilled into him again, "I don't care."

* * *

Even with his eyes closed, Naruto picked out the sunlight breaking through the window covers. It didn't oversaturate his room with brightness, but it was enough to break him out of one amazing slumber. It also didn't help that a screeching noise brought him completely back into the real world. Naruto lifted himself slightly, switching his cheek, and faced the darker side of his room.

Naruto groaned, "Put the shades back."

His voice was groggy, parched, stressing his throat slightly.

"Sun ain't waiting for anybody," replied the disruptor. The voice was deep. Authority etched in every word he spoke. A part of Naruto wanted to jump to the balls of his feet, but the tight embrace of his warm blanket kept him rooted to his mattress.

Keeping his eyes closed, Naruto tried one more time, "Please man..."

"No can do." His blanket was tugged away from his clutching frame, forcing Naruto to face his demon. "You told me to help you get up early so that you don't miss o-chem, that's exactly what I'm doing."

Malcolm Duncan stood over his bed, wrangling the sheets away from the blond. Malcolm's shoulders were wide and broad and framed well. No doubt due to years of physical conditioning and general weightlifting. While his physique advertised some intimidation, his soft, light brown eyes held some concern.

"Why are you like this?" Irritation weaved and bobbed with his words. "I never do this kind of shit to you."

"Well, that's because I wake up earlier than you," Malcolm answered as he completely separated the whiskered blond from his fabric cocoon.

Naruto reached for the bedside table. Clicking on the black, circular button of his cellular device, azure pools scanned for the numbers on the screen. Naruto sagged deeper into his bed in disappointment, "I have five more minutes before my alarm goes off."

Malcolm smiled, "You're welcome."

Naruto groaned once more, crossing his right arm over his face to darken his vision. He wanted to go back to sleep again. He needed this day to be over already. If only he could control time as if it were a dial. Then it would be an endless cycle of bargaining to make sure the sun never broke through his window covers ever again.

"Get dressed already," Malcolm badgered. "Don't make me pull you by the ankles!"

Naruto's nose picked up something smoky. He sniffed a couple more times just to be sure, "Something's burning."

"OH SHIT! THE EGGS!" Malcolm boomed out of the room. He was probably making a beeline for the kitchen. Naruto hoped nothing obstructed his way, or more precisely, no one.

Naruto shifted his position sitting on the edge of his mattress. Prepping himself with both arms, Naruto waited for the world to balance out. "Make mine with ham!" The blond wailed, "And some salsa on the side!" Naruto wished Malcolm heard his requests.

His bedroom was what was to be expected from a single male living in his young adult life. Most of the space was dominated by his bed—a furniture large enough to fit two, generously-sized adults. There was a bedside table to the right of the bed with his wallet, phone, and lamp. The closet was right next to the door, giving the occupancy clear purpose to grab the necessary clothes and make a dash for the bathroom.

Today's choice was an orange graphic tee shirt and a dark pair of jeans.

Naruto was lucky enough to choose the room closest to the bathroom. In this apartment with three other roommates and one bathroom, it was a battle royale to get to the warm shower first on a winter morning. Unluckily for the whiskered blond, he was always the last one to wake up.

He winced to the touch of water that felt like it originated from an iceberg. But thanks to his physical training, Naruto accustomed to the temperature faster than anyone in this world.

After putting on his fresh clothes, Naruto followed the wonderful aroma to the kitchen.

The living room and kitchen were joined together in an open-concept design. There was a great island counter in the middle of the kitchen perfect for hosting breakfast gatherings and placing food trays on larger events. Aside from the dishwasher, the appliances were mostly current models. There were four stools next to the island counter and Naruto decided to plop down on one to get started.

"Did she make it, doctor?" Naruto checked.

"Unfortunately," Malcolm's gaze was low, somber. The taller boy showcased a plate with a heavily darkened omelet. The blond could still see a healthy condition; though Naruto would prefer the others. "But, you can have this one."

Malcolm handed Naruto a dazzling ham and cheese omelet. Fresh green onions were sprinkled to the top and some of it fell around.

"I don't deserve you," Naruto graciously accepted the plate.

Except, a smaller, delicate hand beat him to it, "I wish I could say the same thing." To his right, Karen Beecher beamed. She was way shorter than him, most likely a foot short. Her dark-brown curls were fashioned into small buns. Karen was wearing a yellow hoodie with black leggings and matching boots.

Karen started on the omelet much to Naruto's displeasure. She even sprayed ketchup all over the food which almost pushed the whiskered blond to the edge. It was a disrespectful display to Malcolm's masterpiece.

A frown made its way to Naruto's face, "That's a shitty thing to say."

"I'll stop saying it when Mal starts putting me above you."

"I'm pretty sure he does," Naruto countered. "He probably did it last night."

An abrupt expulsion of gust clashed against Malcolm's coffee intake. Malcolm clutched his chest as he coughed out to calm the sharp pressure inside him. Karen, on the other hand, bore into him; her claws progressed dangerously close to his throat. She settled on delivering a hefty punch on the shoulder though.

Naruto rubbed on the sore spot. He was certain it would grow into a massive black and purple bump later.

"That's not funny," Karen reiterated.

"Ahh, Nate, you're awake." Miguel Jose Barragan walked out of his room. He had a mop of unruly auburn locks. Miguel was only a couple of inches shorter than Naruto and his lanky shape was agile at weaving around the cluttered mess all over the living room. "Good!" He dug in his grey denim jacket to retrieve a stack of rubber-banded bills, "Here's everything for the month. Plus, extra for—you know, two weeks ago."

Malcolm stretched to snatch a twenty-dollar bill from the stack, "I'll take that."

"Hey!" The whiskered blond was surprised he wasn't fast enough to intercept Malcolm's kleptomaniacal fingers, "What the hell?"

Malcolm pocketed the bill and took a careful sip of his morning joe, "I took care of this week's groceries when it's supposed to be his turn." The chef made sure to make eye contact with Miguel, "Don't tell me you forgot."

"I didn't forget…" Miguel delayed. He gobbled up his food quick and collected everything he needed for today's classes. "I just thought you would."

"You know what—" Malcolm sneered.

"Mal, let's go!" Karen was rushing for the door. She was holding onto her thermal cup while her other hand was preoccupied with slipping her feet into a pair of sneakers, forgoing the boots she had earlier. "We're gonna be late."

Malcolm rushed to put all the used and dirty plates and pans to the sink. Naruto handed him his own used utensils since he was much closer. Malcolm chugged his remaining drink, careful not to spill any onto his attire. After saying his quick goodbyes, Malcolm hastily followed his girlfriend out the door.

Someone was absent to their common morning ruckus, Naruto observed, "Where's Grant?"

"He left early," Miguel revealed. "Something about getting tutored for midterms, tutoring someone for midterms, I dunno. I kinda stopped listening to him when he rambled on."

Naruto thought this was a great opportunity to see what else was on the menu. Opening the fridge, the blond inspected for other great offers. Naruto was irritated to find an empty plastic carton, "We're out of milk."

"I'll bring some when I come back from work." Miguel was the next body to race out of the door, "Bye-bye, guapo."

Accepting defeat, Naruto shut the refrigerator door. With a scowl marbled on his face, it was time for him to make his way to organic chemistry.

* * *

"Now, this is a rare sight. Nathaniel Ullman arriving before the professor." Naruto shifted around to see a young woman with blond hair pulling up to the side. She was wearing a black, floral-design blouse, a pair of dark jeans with black and white sneakers. A long, maroon cardigan finished her outfit of the day. Her eyebrows creased in concern, "Unless—wait a second—the class is canceled and I didn't get an email beforehand."

Caitlin Snow wasn't your average college student. Word around the block was that she graduated valedictorian in the same academy that groomed Michael Holt to the established, respectable man that he was now. Observing her work ethics at close range, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if she was on her way to completing her master's program three years from now, even though they were still freshmen.

They were standing in a hallway by the classroom. Unlike the other buildings in the campus, this one had been recently renovated. There were massive glass panels in front of him with a clear view of the campus plaza populated with exhausted students and amused university staffs.

"This is what happens when you ask a big, black dude to be your alarm clock so that you don't miss midterms," replied Naruto.

Caitlin shook her head, "Mal doesn't deserve you."

"I said the same thing this morning."

"So," Caitlin started, readjusting her textbooks. "Did you actually study for the exam or are you going to wing it."

Naruto held his hand out. When she projected a confused expression, the whiskered blond pried the textbooks from her and carried them for Caitlin, "Ask me anything."

Caitlin flashed a smile, "What is the approximate C-C-C bond angle in propene?"

The taller blond tilted his head up for some semblance of inspiration, "109?" It took Naruto a while to come up with the answer.

"That's the H-C-H bond angle in methane," Naruto found her frowning.

"Then 150?" Naruto tried again.

"It's 120, Nate."

"Cool. I'm gonna remember that in case I come across it."

Caitlin blew out a long, deep sigh, "Come on, Nate. I know you can do better than that. If you try harder, I'm pretty sure you can be the top student in this class."

"That went out the window the moment you signed up for this class," Naruto dished back, supplying a good chuckle for comfort.

"Nate, I'm serious," Caitlin steeled through any attempts to appease her.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Cait." Naruto expressed, "Between school and work, I can't split myself to focus on those things at once when sometimes I wish I could."

"But you told me Gianni's would be a temporary thing."

"Working at Gianni's is also what allows me to go to school here. Otherwise, I'd have to go back to Alexandria." And, there was no way he was ever gonna go back. Ever since he arrived at this place, New York was the only place where he was comfortable. He didn't have to look behind his shoulders.

Almost like Konoha.

"I'm pretty sure Mal and Grant would help you out," Caitlin suggested.

Naruto dipped his chin, disagreeing with her, "Can't rely on those guys forever."

"But what about your studies?" Caitlin raised her voice louder than what Naruto would've liked. When she noticed her apprehension, Caitlin dialed it down a notch. She reassessed her tone, "What about pre-med?"

Naruto creased his eyebrows closer together, "You're acting like I'm gonna drop out. I may not look like it now, but I have an unnatural talent at multi-tasking. School, work, whatever else might come my way won't bring me down. Just give me time to adjust."

Caitlin looked down, "If you say so…"

"Don't worry, Cait." Naruto flashed a grin. "Everybody loves the underdog."

The taller blond just noticed that the bodies around the locked classroom had accumulated. Now there were close to twenty people waiting on the professor to arrive.

The sound of rolling wheels brought his attention to the right. Down the hallway, an aged man with grey locks and breathtakingly groomed beard of black, gray, and white came to his vision. He was wearing a loose white shirt and brown slacks with matching oxfords. A sizable wooden bead-bracelet hung from his right wrist. He was dragging his bag along.

The man greeted everyone quickly, "Good morning, everyone." He paused, his maple pools bridging with Naruto's azures. "Nate, you're looking out of it."

Man, not him too. "It was a long night, Dr. Monsley."

"Well, I think you're going to do great on the exams."

"That makes one of us, doc."

Caitlin elbowed him on the side.

* * *

It was three-thirty in the afternoon when Naruto was going around the whole apartment cleaning up this morning's ruckus. No one had free time in the morning so it generally fell to the first person who arrives to perform some light cleansing. It was usually Naruto but he didn't mind it at all as it kept his mind and body moving.

Naruto started on the living room, sorting the pillows to their appropriate spots and moving the egg-shaped coffee table back to the middle of the sectional. The bathroom was an easy one-two punch: wiping the toilet and sink of any residue and throwing out the overflowing garbage bin. The kitchen presented the heavy hauls because Naruto had to organize the mail on the island counter, wipe down the stove and microwave, and wash all the bowls, plates, mugs, and pans during today's rush.

This could've all been done within thirty minutes with the help of his trusty chakra helpers, but Naruto constrained himself in employing chakra inside the apartment. He was alone, yes, but if experience taught him well it was that in this world, there were eyes and ears everywhere. Someone could've been spying on him through a computer screen and there wouldn't be any signs of it.

Back in the homeworld—as Naruto liked to call the Elemental Lands—a small sweep of chakra flare alerted him of all the bodies within a meter range. Now, he couldn't pass off as a novice sensor, but Jiraiya had pummeled everything he needed to know about intelligence gathering.

If Naruto deployed that in this world devoid of any chakra, he would only pick up the Kyūbi's chakra.

So, to keep everything in his life normal, Naruto opted to only employ chakra once he put on the mask.

A rotation of gears inside the door lock brought Naruto out of his muses. Relocating his sight from the sink, sapphire pools inspected as a body entered the apartment.

It was a tall, well-built man with brunette spikes and dark eyes. He had a blue flannel on with dark pants and matching sneakers. He gave a quick nod to Naruto and settled on the couch, deepening himself as much as possible. The heavy exhale disclosed that this day had bitten a lot from him.

Naruto went back to his dishes.

"You're home earlier than I expected."

"I could say the same thing to you," Grant replied. "How did you do on the o-chem exam?"

How was Naruto supposed to tell him?

"Don't tell me you didn't go."

Naruto didn't need to look up to know that he was scowling at him.

A flashy smile was sent to alleviate Grant of any concern. "I did, I did! Don't worry. I just didn't know how to tell you because I don't know myself. Like—I knew most of the stuff, but I still have my doubts."

Grant eased back, "Cool. So, you aced the exam. That's awesome."

"I don't know how you always manage to see the brighter side of things."

"We've known each other for a long time, Nate. Remember precalc? You used to sweat over the little quizzes every week but you had the highest score in our class."

Naruto wasn't sure where Grant was going with this, "And?"

"I'm just saying everything works out the way you want it too," Grant finished as he set his backpack on the other couch nearby. A few moments later, he decided to get up and walk to the fridge. "Kinda strange on how often it happens actually."

"I'm just clutch," responded Naruto, putting the newly washed iron cast pan on the counter to dry. After wiping it down clean with a white dry towel, Naruto placed it on the stove and turned the dial to low. Naruto relied on the heat to get everything he couldn't.

"Or you're a cheater."

Naruto narrowed his eyes menacingly, "How dare you, Grant Wilson?!"

"I'm just kidding," Grant answered with a smile, but transformed into a frown not a second later. "We're out of milk."

Naruto grabbed the skillet and turned the stove off. Grabbing a bottle of olive oil from the pantry, the whiskered blond dabbed a teaspoon into the pan and swept it around to produce a glistening coat. "Miguel's gonna stop by the store after work."

Taking the empty milk out of the fridge, Grant dropped it down the garbage bin. "Why do I have to keep telling you guys to just throw away the empty cartons?"

"How else are we gonna know to buy milk?"

"When you don't see the carton."

Grant disappeared into his room while Naruto finished cleaning the kitchen. He was in the middle of sanitizing the island counter when Grant reintroduced himself to the room. He was dressed in a completely new outfit, something formal and warm enough for the weather.

Naruto's brow rose, "You gonna go somewhere?"

Grant retrieved his backpack in the living room, packing it with what Naruto believed were necessities to their meeting. A fresh, rolled towel, a sleeveless top, dark pair of sweatpants and a deodorant stick. "My dad's in town. Gonna go see him, catch up."

Naruto was drying his hands with a kitchen towel that hung from the stove, "It's kinda weird that I haven't met your dad yet."

Grant sent him a look, "What are you, my girlfriend?"

"Well I've met Mal's," Naruto countered, shrugging his shoulders. "And I can't really say the same for Miguel since he ran away and stuff. I just wanna know the dude who raised you, you know?"

Grant returned to stuffing his bag, "Trust me, man, you aren't missing anything."

Naruto found Grant inventorying at a faster pace. Sensing a sudden new course, Naruto approached the apartment exit, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push."

"Nah, it's cool."

Naruto opened the closet by the apartment main door. Retrieving a pair of tennis shoes, Naruto worked fast to put them on.

"What about you?" Grant questioned. "I thought you had the rest of the week off for midterms."

Naruto closed the closet door and was reaching for the door handle when he answered, "I'm gonna go for a run, yeah."

Grant had a rather devious smirk, "Or are you gonna go see Caitlin?"

Naruto sighed, "I told you before, it's not like that with her."

"Whatever you say. Wrap it up, bro. I wouldn't risk it, even if it's Cait."

The whiskered blond flipped Grant the bird before heading out the door. It was around four in the afternoon now. With the commuter traffic in mind, Naruto discovered that it would take shy of a full hour to reach his destination. Naruto was giddy with excitement; it'd be around dinner time too. Things did eventually work out for him.

* * *

Price's eyes shot open.

He was sitting on the floor. There was an unevenness on the wooden panel which made it even more uncomfortable and that he was chained to something metallic.

Everything was dark and he couldn't see anything except for the wooden table a few feet away from him. It was too high to clearly see, but he could smell the warm plate of food and see a couple of water bottles next to it. When his vision finally accommodated to the obscurity of the room, Price recognized a form settled in the corner of the room.

"Where the fuck am I?!"

Something dropped near Price. As it rolled closer towards him, Price felt his heart jumping ropes, rattling him closer to the grave.

Brody was staring at him. His eyes were blank, depleted. His mouth, agape. His skin was pale. The neck looked like it was mauled by a wild animal. Price threw up a little when he saw a bone jutting out of the neck.

"JESUS CHRIST!"

Price rocked and squirmed, anything to get him out of there.

The man stepped forward. Next, to the window, where some moonlight shined, the man's figure was easily distinguishable.

It was the maniac wearing demon mask.

"Who do you work for?"

"GET THAT FUCKING THING AWAY FROM ME MAN!" Price shrieked.

"Your boy Max is still alive," the maniac wearing demon mask revealed. "If you're not in the mood for a conversation, I can just swing over to him instead. I just need your head."

"Okay, okay, okay," Price relinquished. He couldn't do anything else. "Look, I'll talk, okay man? I'm just—I'm hungry and thirsty. I need to take a piss too."

"That's too bad."

"Please!" Price wailed, water began to collect in his eyes. "Just some food! I have diabetes, man. I'll die if I don't eat anything soon. Then I'll tell you everything you need to know. The chain, shops, cars, everything man!"

"Alright," the maniac wearing demon mask paused, then continued, "Max it is."

The maniac wearing demon mask moved a couple steps closer. Price proceeded to inhale and exhale air deeper. "Alright, alright. Hold on, man! Shit!" The maniac wearing demon mask halted, "SHIT!"

Price recovered in a short amount of time, "I work for Delany Byrne. The Dundalk Customs garage on 17th is his shop."

"What does he do?"

"I don't know," The maniac wearing demon mask took a step. "I'M TELLING THE TRUTH! I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE DOES!"

That made him stop again.

Price continued, "But he calls us now and then to take care of a couple of gigs every month. Me, Brody, we get bossed around to do the annoying shit other people don't bother. But, we don't kill people man, you gotta believe me."

"Yeah, you guys are saints."

"How the hell do you expect us to make any decent living in this city when the people with everything takes everything from you man?" Anger was rising within Price.

"Shut up. I don't care."

His shoulders dipped, shifting inside the chains, Price tried once more. "I'm so hungry and I'm so thirsty."

"How many people are in that shop?"

"Fourteen," Price fulfilled. "Don't touch Granny Reagan! She's a good person! She volunteers at Sacred Deed."

The maniac wearing demon mask did something bizarre with his hands. Price wasn't sure if it was a sign to someone else in the room, but Price was quite sure they were the only bodies inside the room. However, he was proven wrong brief time later when smoke billowed around him and revealed three exact copies of the maniac wearing demon mask.

One was standing by the table, closer to the plate of food.

One was inches away from Price's feet.

The one Price had been talking to approached him and lowered himself. Price's heartbeat sore, thundering to escape the fleshly container. His airways had been shut tight. He turned away from the maniac's animalistic red eyes.

"If I find you lying to me, he will stab you here," the maniac wearing demon mask placed his hand on Price's right pectoral muscle. "And watch as you drown from your own blood."

The maniac wearing demon mask turned to his clones, "Keep him awake." Then back to Price, "I hope you like lean pockets."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for taking the time to read my story! And, no, Naruto's super alias won't be "The Maniac wearing Demon Mask". It's just a placeholder, the super name will be revealed in further chapters.

To clear up any confusion, Naruto's official public identity is Nathaniel Ullman. Like Kal-El's public identity is Clark Joseph Kent.

If you have any questions feel free to let me know, I'll answer them to the best of my abilities.


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